When To Use Static Wep; When To Use Ieee 802.1X - Psion Teklogix 9160 G2 User Manual

See Also
For information on how to configure unencrypted security mode, see "None (Plain-text)" on
page 102.

10.1.2.2 When To Use Static WEP

Static Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is a data encryption protocol for 802.11 wireless
networks. All wireless stations and access points on the network are configured with a static
64-bit (40-bit secret key + 24-bit initialization vector (IV)) or 128-bit (104-bit secret key +
24-bit IV) Shared Key for data encryption.
Table 10.1 Static WEP Security Mode
Key Management
Static WEP uses a fixed key that is
provided by the administrator. WEP
keys are indexed in different slots (up
to four on the 9160 G2 Wireless Gate-
way).
The client stations must have the
same key indexed in the same slot to
access data on the access point.
Recommendations
Static WEP was designed to provide security equivalent of sending unencrypted data
through an Ethernet connection, however it has major flaws and it does not provide even this
intended level of security.
Therefore, Static WEP is not recommended as a secure mode. The only time to use Static
WEP is when interoperability issues make it the only option available to you and you are not
concerned with the potential of exposing the data on your network.
See Also
For information on how to configure Static WEP security mode, see "Static WEP" on
page 103.

10.1.2.3 When To Use IEEE 802.1x

IEEE 802.1x is the standard for passing the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) over
an 802.11 wireless network using a protocol called EAP Encapsulation Over LANs
(EAPOL). This is a newer, more secure standard than Static WEP.
Comparison Of Security Modes For Key Management, Authentication And Encryption Algorithms
Encryption Algorithm
An RC4 stream cipher is used to
encrypt the frame body and cyclic
redundancy checking (CRC) of each
802.11 frame.
Psion Teklogix 9160 G2 Wireless Gateway User Manual
Chapter 10: Configuring Security
User Authentication
If you set the Authentication Algorithm to
"Shared Key", this protocol provides a rudi-
mentary form of user authentication.
However, if the Authentication Algorithm is set
to "Open System", no authentication is per-
formed.
If the algorithm is set to "Both", only WEP cli-
ents are authenticated.
95